The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-05
Strange Indian Dance.

Lee Meriwether, In October Cosmopolitan. The night of my arrival at Fort Reno was bright and clear. The gar rison was strong; the Indians were held we'll in cheek. was not troubled with fears for personal safety. A noise of voices and drums foated through the still night air from the tepees several miles away. Mir. Cur tis, one of the Fort scouts, saddled N couple of horses, and after supper We galloped across the level prairie in the moonlight to attend an ArNpahoe dance.
 On reaching the village we singled out the tepee whence issued the noise of drums and voices, and crawling through the door-a hole in the can vas about three feet high-iound our selves among thirty or forty painted bucks and squaws. The squaws were huddled on the ground In one corner of the tepee; in the opposite corner crouched the painted braves, An old drum was on the ground in the center of the tepee: around it squatted six men lustily beating the drum, and at the same time bawling at the tsp of their powerful lungs No notice was taken of our entrance. We quietly placed ourselves in the braves corner.
 Presently sQuaw arose, and with a kind of reeling motion advanced toward us. She glanced moment at row of bucks, then tapped one on the head he arose and stood in silence. Tho Suuau. snannal ara T, thn fa,oS h., fore her. She seemed about to tap mo on the head, but hesitated, and finally bestowed her favor upon Mir. Curtis. He arose to his feet: the Squaw placed herself between her two partners, her ] face looking in the opposite direction from which they looked; then put ting her arms around the two mems necks, all three began springing up and down, bowling in concert with the howls of the men beating the drum.
 Other squaws came forward, sc- lectcd partners and joined in the strange dance. congratulated myself on being n wall flower; but my self congratulations were premature, for when the row of braves was pretty we'll thinned out, n kind hearted maiden took pity on my loneliness and l tapped me on the head. Her other i partner was villainous- looking In- dian, who could doubtless have run all day without iiring. Certainly the springy motion, which was cX. cessively tatiguing to me, did not seem 10 please him. Moka Wolf track (that was the name of my squaw partner) was unsparing in the looks of contempt she bestowed on tho tender foot pale-face from the east. Perhaps n blunder made in the very outset helped to forfeit her good opinion of me. From sheer force of habit, when arose to dance. put my arm under i her shawl around her waist; there was naught there but the bare and yielding flesh. Moka removed tho arm with a jerk and all indignant glance that is hard to forget. She i looked at the moment as if she would have liked to pcrforate my body with 1 splinters, and then set them on fire and watch me slowly sizzle.
 At the conclusion of the dance, after springing up and down until com pletely exhausted, my partner did a singular thing she turned and gave me kiss square on the mouth l submitted with what seemed to me a very good grace indeed, but Moka nevertheless gave me another savage look, abruptly removing her arm from round my neck and retrcated to her corner, apparently disgusted as well as offended. My ofiense, AS 1 subse- quently learned, lay in not transmit ting from my mouth to hers, when she kissed me, some bead or other trinket, as is customary. Mir. Curtis, who was acquainted with the custom, transferred to his partner, by kiss, bright blue bead, and 30 came out of the race with as much eclat as though he were n real Indian instead sf mere Indian scout.